While most of the college football news on Friday focuses on players entering the transfer portal, there has been some good news regarding some of the players who elected to stay with their current program.
Demon June is one of those players, as the Jacksonville, North Carolina native is officially staying with the UNC football program for his sophomore season.
Demon June has re-signed with the North Carolina Tar Heels.@reallju ✍️ pic.twitter.com/DH3WWh3T28
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) January 2, 2026
June emerged onto the scene
It didn't take very long for Demon June to show flashes of what he's capable of doing with the football in his hands. In just his second game as a Tar Heel, June rushed for 148 yards and a score, an effort that quickly helped him skyrocket his way up the depth chart.
Overall, June finished the 2025 season with 84 carries for 464 yards and two touchdowns, putting together a pair of 100-yard rushing efforts. His best game came on Halloween night at Syracuse, a contest in which he rushed for 101 yards and added 81 receiving yards, finishing the night with a spooky 182 yards and two combined touchdowns.
While his production down the stretch took a dip, there's no denying that Demon June was a guy who the UNC football program needed to find a way to keep around this offseason.
The crazy world of college athletics
It's simply insane to think that we're now using words such as "re-signed" to discuss a player's return to a college campus.
In the past, it was basically assumed players (especially underclassmen) would return to their respective programs. With the new world of NIL, players are viewed more like professionals, as plenty of variables factor in for student-athletes as they explore the best possible situation for them moving forward.
This announcement felt like a contract extension, one that UNC football fans will be very happy to hear about.